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 Over
the last 15 years birding has really taken off in Bulgaria, but this
is not really surprising when one considers the species that can be
seen in this birding paradise. There are over 200 Dalmatian pelicans
in the colony at the Srebarna UNESCO reserve, which is the best
European colony, Red-footed Falcons (over 500 pairs), over 20 pairs
of Eastern Imperial eagles, over 800 pairs of Pygmy cormorant, over
100 pairs of Ferruginous duck, and more than 50 pairs of Ruddy shell
duck. The country is dotted with fishpond systems and many small and
bigger rivers, where the Penduline tit is common, and herons and
egrets easily seen.
The chain of the Central Balkan
National Park, Pirin and Vitosha mountains National Parks, Rila
mountain with many mountain reserves, Rhodope mountain and in the
far South east Strandza mountain National Park and the local
reserves, with their perfect woods and huge cliffs give great
opportunities for raptors. These include Eastern Imperial , Golden,
Booted, Short-toed, and Lesser spotted eagles, and Saker. The lower
parts of the mountains and the whole of the rest of the country is
good for Long legged buzzard, Levant Sparrow hawk, Red footed falcon,
Montegu’s harrier, Honey Buzzard, Egyptian, Black and Griffon
vultures, White-tailed eagle, and Black and White stork. Bulgaria is
also the best place in the World for seeing Wallcreeper, the biggest
European populations of Sombre tit, Masked and Lesser grey shrikes,
short-toed treecreeper, Olive-tree and Paddyfield warblers, Spanish
sparrow, Semi- collared flycatcher, Black-headed and Rock buntings,
Black-headed yellow wagtail, Golden Oriole, Roller, Bee-eater,
Hoopoe, Rose-coloured starling, Rock partridge, Pied, Isabelline and
Eastern Black-eared wheatears, Corncrake, Syrian woodpecker,
Calandra and Short-toed larks.
Many rare European species, like
Pallid swift, Little and spotted crakes, Stone-curlew, Collared and
Black-winged pratincoles, Gull-billed and Caspian terns, White
pelicans, Eagle owl, Ural owl, Scops owl, Pygmy and Tegmalm’s owls,
Shore lark, Rock and Blue rock thrush, Sub-alpine, Barred, Sardinian
and Orphean warblers, Nutcracker, Rock sparrow, and Dotterel can be
seen. In almost every wood and the open area there are Black, Green,
Grey-headed, Middle-spotted, Great-spotted, and Lesser-spotted
woodpeckers. High in the mountain are three-toed woodpecker. There
is a good chance of the rare White-backed woodpecker, as well as
Syrian woodpecker and Wryneck in the open areas..
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The best time to visit is spring, with,
on average, 220-230 species, including many rarities but birding in
autumn is also good, especially for large raptor migration, Pelicans,
and shorebirds. There are huge number of birds every autumn with
Honey Buzzards (6000+), Levant sparrow hawk (100+), Common buzzards
(20,000+), Booted eagle (100+), Lesser spotted eagles (10,000+),
Short-toed eagles (400+), Pallid harriers (15+), Hobbys (70+), Red
footed falcons (1000+), White storks (over 130,000), Black stork
(3000+), White pelicans (20,000+), Dalmatian pelicans, and many other
rare and interesting birds such as thousands of wagtails, swallows,
pipits, and larks etc
 Bulgaria
is one of the best European countries for birding in winter, as it
holds thousands of Red-breasted and White fronted geese, a very good
chance of lesser white-fronted geese and rare European ducks. In the
last few years there have been very good numbers of White headed duck
(over 300), Smew, Dalmatian pelican, Great white Egret, Whooper and
Bewick’s swans, Rough-legged and Long legged buzzards.
Last years become more and more
popular the tours for observation of mammals . These include the rare
European Brown Bear , Wolf, Wild Boar , Red Deer and other
interesting mammals. For such tours which are usually offered like
mammals and birds, or mammals and Bulgarian monasteries, mammals and
beautiful Bulgarian nature etc, Bulgaria also has the best European
possibilities.
Bulgarian landscape is very variable.
The plains and marshes of the Danube and Maritsa rivers and Black sea
coast give a great possibility of getting all the European herons, as
well as Spoonbills and Glossy Ibis, Little Bittern breed. Even the
forest in the center of Sofia - the Bulgarian capital, gives perfect
opportunities for birding, and Vitosha mountain national park is just
a few minutes by car from Sofia. The dozens of reserves in the
country and also many unprotected areas with their variety of
landscape, birds, plants insects etc, in a small country such as
Bulgaria, mark it out as a leading European country for birding.
The climate is typically continental
in Northern Bulgaria and Dobrudza region, which means warm summers
and cold winters. Along the Black sea coast the winter is not so
severe and the summer is not so hot. In the high mountains the
climate is typical with long and cold winter and shorter spring and
summer. Along the southern border with Turkey and Greece the
Mediterranean influence is tactile. Food, and drinks are cheap and
accommodation is very reasonable. Yet, many regions of Bulgaria are
still rather under developed with farmland that still hosts good
numbers of birds.
(This article is contributed by Pandion-D
- Editor. For more interesting travel articles, please visit InfoHub
Specialty Travel Guide)
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